florescence
by tamedbanshee
Summary: To be an older sister, was a full-time job. Her career as a Shinobi was simply a hobby. SI/OC AU. Rewrite.
1. Intro Arc: Name

**TITLE:** Florescence

 **SUMMARY** : To be an older sister, was a full-time job. Her career as a Shinobi was simply a hobby. SI/OC AU.

 **AUTHOR NOTE:** This is actually a rewrite of one of my older stories, _"Well, that's new"._ A better version hopefully! I'm looking towards better developing my characters as well as the relationships they make rather than simply trying to get on with the plot. I haven't got a beta-reader or anything and don't... actually know how to go about finding one, not gonna lie. So there are going to be a few errors because it's me and I'm dumb.

Also this is my stab at Naniwrimo, so this is going to be hilarious.

* * *

"Mebuki! You're a month early!"

The woman glowered from her wheelchair, her hands clamped over the swell of her abdomen. " _No shit_?"

The overly perky nurse paid no mind to her snarled words and simply turned to the man that was pushing her along. "Maternity ward."

Despite the slow start, Mebuki could admit that the nurses were nothing if not professional. Even if the wheels of her chair did squeak and the lights overhead made her feel terribly nauseous as they trundled her into an empty delivery room. The bouts of pain washing in and out.

Her husband was absent from her side and he wasn't back for a few more days.

He'd promised that he'd be back in no time and she knew that he'd be heartbroken that he missed this but, _fuck it_ , it seemed like Mebuki was going to be doing this alone.

If alone meant being in a room with a midwife, a doctor and an orderly which had been pulled into the fray.

When she'd first found out she was pregnant, nine months had seemed like a long time to wait before they welcomed their first child into the world. It had seemed like an eternity but, apparently, eternity was a lot shorter than she'd thought since as soon as the months had starter; here she found herself, flat on her back with her legs in the air as the doctor told her to push.

"I can see the head! One more now!"

With a grunt, Mebuki shattered the hand of the poor orderly which she'd snagged as labour had really hit her.

The sharp high pitched wail was bliss by contrast.

The new mother slumped back into the shitty hospital pillows, her hair sweat laden and sticking to her forehead as the flush slowly faded from her cheeks. Instead, she glowed with pride as she watched the baby be passed around, a green glowing hand pressed over. . .

Mebuki blinked.

"Girl or boy?" She asked, her voice husky.

"It's a girl." The doctor told her with a smile, sighing in relief as she finished her inspection of the baby before giving her to the midwife to be cleaned up. "A perfectly healthy, if not small, baby girl."

"Good, _good_."

She'd grown up with three older brothers, Mebuki had always dreamt of having her own sister. Sadly, it never happened and instead, that want had been channelled into a need to have a daughter of her own. Something which came true and her mind raced because despite having nine months to think about it, she hadn't been able to come up with a name.

Oh she'd thought of many names, just not the _right_ one.

Besides, it felt wrong to name their new daughter when half of the reason she existed wasn't by her side.

* * *

"I can't believe I missed it," Kizashi murmured mournfully.

He was rather mellow at that moment in time, unusually quiet so that he wouldn't wake the baby in his arms.

It was actually rather sweet.

From the moment he'd gotten out of the shower, because like _hell_ would Mebuki let him touch their daughter after just getting home from a mission, he'd refused to let go of their little girl. His eyes wide and reverent as he ran a curled finger over the apples of her cheeks.

"She's so small," He whispered, conscious of how big he seemed by unfair comparison.

"She was impatient." Mebuki reminded him, her hand resting on his arm with a soft smile - it hadn't been his fault. They had no idea that their daughter would decide, _hey whilst papa's away I'm going to arrive!_

"Just like her mother."

"I _will_ smack you."

"I'm holding the baby you can't - _OW_!"

Kizashi flinched away from his wife's swats, his grip tightening so he didn't drop their precious cargo.

"Aren't you supposed to be taking it easy?" _And not beating me into a pulp_?

Mebuki rolled her eyes, her husband's childish antics was something she'd gotten used to. Not that she'd ever admit it to him but she appreciated his lighthearted views. Even if he did act like a five year old at some points and god help him if started on those god awful jokes…

"They're still waiting for the birth certificate, you know," She softly reminded him, stepping closer so the baby was lodged between the two of them. The warmth lulling her into a deeper sleep as a small hand curled around Mebuki's offered finger.

He blinked, his eyes suspiciously wet.

"You waited to name her?" He murmured, sniffling ever so slightly. "You waited for me?"

"Of course I did, you idiot," Smiling up at her husband, her partner in crime before their eyes slid down to the bundle between them. "What'dyou think? We didn't really get around to thinking of names."

"Mei?"

"Mm, no." A pause. "Ayaka?"

"Doesn't feel right," Kizashi confessed "Suzue?"

Mebuki hummed, nose wrinkling.

"Maybe we should wait, when we go see your parents, they might have some good names."

* * *

"What about Suzue?"

Mebuki had to stop herself from pinching the bridge of her nose, and it looked like her mother-in-law was suffering the same urge as herself. Honestly, her husband and her father-in-law were like peas in a pod. So similar, the same sense of humour, the same attitudes towards everything and apparently, the same taste in girls names.

They'd spent the first half an hour cooing over their first grandchild and even now, their baby girl was nestled in her grandmother's arms. Peaceful and silent as she snoozed on.

She'd always felt welcomed into the Haruno Clan, her own family were far away after committing to their travelling business as merchants. So her husband's family swiftly took her in, Mebuki was often found having tea with her second mother or even going there every now and then for the company.

Upon delivering their first grandchild?

It was the first time Mebuki had seen her mother-in-law cry.

Noriko was a hard woman, toughened by her childhood in Kiri. She was firm, cutting, almost ruthless in whatever she did. It was like watching day and night when her husband's parents spoke, they were so different but then again, Mebuki couldn't help but smile as she glanced over at her own husband, the same could be said about the two of them.

"She said no to Suzue," Kizashi drawled, the man and his father eyeing her with distaste since they liked the name very much.

"When you push a human being out of you, then you can decide their name," Noriko cut in, thoroughly chastening both her husband and her son. Though it was probably softer than her usual scoldings but Kizashi still pinkened at the ears. "What about a flower? Hm?"

"...Kikue?" Kenta offered jovially, looking to the small child in his wife's arms, as if to see whether or not it had her approval.

Mebuki snorted at the small yawn her daughter gave.

The names continued to flow and so did the drinks, Noriko settled quite comfortably in her chair and Mebuki wasn't allowed to lift a thing. Kizashi simply dashing between them all, serving refills whenever someone seemed a little low on tea.

They'd only expected to be there for half an hour, maybe an hour at most.

Dinner time was swiftly approaching though and the day had taken a lot out of her despite it not being physically demanding. Her daughter was going to begin to get fussy at some point as well and she'd rather not have to breastfeed in front of her parents.

"Sakura?" Kizashi finally put in, after a brief moment of thought.

It sounded right but at the same time, ...not. It was hard to explain, it was like a mismatched puzzle piece. Noriko seemed to feel the same way by the slight twist her of thin lips, the scar curving around her chin twisting with it.

"What about Mio?"

The two glanced over at the older woman who'd thrown her hat into the name-ring.

"Mio?" They shared a look before a nod.

"Mio."

* * *

 **CHAPTER WORD COUNT: 1349**

 **STORY WORD COUNT: 1349**


	2. Intro Arc: Life

**TITLE:** Florescence

 **SUMMARY** : To be an older sister, was a full-time job. Her career as a Shinobi was simply a hobby. SI/OC AU.

 **AUTHOR NOTE:** Super quick update before I shoot off to lectures! This is sort of a time jump to a more reasonable age where I can start fucking about with the plot and have Mio interact with other characters without it being very one-sided as a baby. Thank you to everyone who favourited or followed! I haven't got a beta-reader or anything and don't... actually know how to go about finding one, not gonna lie. So there are going to be a few errors because it's me and I'm dumb.

Also this is my stab at Naniwrimo, so this is going to be hilarious.

* * *

Kizashi noticed early on that his daughter had this uncanny ability of always being right.

Now, at first, he thought it was just coincidence or even _worse_ , something she inherited from her mother. This need to always be right.

She was very similar to his own mother, the very same knowing smirk that curled their lips, the same sly shaped eyes and feline grace. Even at a young age he had to double check over his shoulder to make sure that she wasn't gracefully stumbling after him. Pudgy feet almost silent as she strolled through their house.

"Papa?" Mio murmured, heavy-handedly colouring her scribbles until the crayons were nothing but nubs.

"Mm?"

"You're a nin-jee right?" Her tongue curled, struggling with her words at times, her nose wrinkled as she paused and Kizashi watched fascinated. "Nin-joo, Nin … Nin-jaa."

"Ninja?" He murmured, a small smile curling his lips at her satisfactory nod. Her mistake acknowledged and improved upon, happily going back to squishing the orange crayon in hand. He didn't know who she was drawing, but who wore _that_ much orange? "I'm a shinobi of Konohagakure, you know what that means?"

"That you kills people," Her blunt words sent electricity down his spine and made his stomach drop to his feet.

Her innocent and childlike voice, declaring him a murderer, it made him sweat under the collar as his profession was lit up in bright lights. Was that how his daughter saw him? Her tongue sticking out as she continued to colour, her words having meant nothing to her as if they hadn't meant anything at all.

Her eyes only met his after she'd finished her drawing, his mouth opening and closing whilst he tried to find a way to explain his job to his daughter. Mio took it out of his hands though when she smiled at him, walking over with her picture in hand, leaning against his knee and looking up at him with her big dark green eyes. "You kills people to save peoples, right? "

The tension seeped from his shoulders somewhat.

"Where did you learn something like that?" He murmured, plucking the picture from her hands and trying not to grimace at the squiggles of yellow and orange that clashed awfully. The streaks of blue melting between the two bright colours.

Mio had no qualms in climbing into her papa's lap, making herself comfortable with her back against his chest.

"Hana's mum told me," Mio stated before beginning to babble, pointing out things in the picture and Kizashi dutifully nodded. Not that he was actually paying attention, his eyes glazed.

 _Goddamn Inuzukas._

"Papa! You're not listening!" Mio hissed, her bony elbow unforgiving against his ribs, her head tilted back as she glared up at him.

"I am! I am!" He insisted. _No, he wasn't_.

"What I just say?" His daughter demanded, _by the gods_ , they'd given him a mixture of his beloved wife and his mother. They had said, his own friends had warned him that daughters were there to punish fathers for their misgivings in youth.

 _He was more inclined to believe it now_.

"Go easy on your papa, hm?"

He glanced up, a relieved sigh slipping past his lips as his wife watched them from the doorway to the kitchen. Her own smug and knowing smile pulling at her lips, conspiring glances shared between the two little ladies that he lived with. Under their thumbs actually, quite happily too, _most of the time_.

"Why don't you go wash your hands and I'll make you some snacks?" Kizashi murmured to his daughter, giving her drawing back to her carefully. He still didn't know what it was actually meant to be but it obviously meant a lot to her witht he way that she clutched it.

"You still in trouble," Mio muttered.

Mebuki watched, entirely amused at the cold sweat that seemed to slip down her husband's forehead at their daughter's ominous words. The tiny redhead clambering down and strutting off. Intent on washing her hands quickly so she could have the snacks she was promised.

After she'd disappeared from view, the two looked at one another.

"She takes after your mother." Was all Mebuki offered.

"She has your temper." Was all Kizashi gave back.

Neither were questions, both simply facts that they could agree on.

Mio had been a precocious child from birth with many quirks which she refused to part with, like saying _I love you_ , whenever they left her sight for extended periods of time. It didn't matter whether it was simply for daycare or bed time, it was unfailing and unexplained. Affectionate but there was a reason behind it which they didn't exactly follow.

She had a fascination with fire as well, refusing to go to bed unless it was by candlelight. The nights which they'd tried not to pander to her whims were wrought with fitful sleep and nightmares which saw their daughter crawl into their beds before dawn broke.

"She's been asking about the Academy," Mebuki told him as the toilet flushed from the other room. Their eyes sliding over, to make sure that little eyes and little ears weren't watching and listening like they tended to do. His wife tilted her head, considering her words carefully. "More than usual as of late."

He sighed, wiping a hand down his face.

"We can't exactly stop her." He pointed out.

"If we did, she'd try to find a way around us." Mebuki threw in as well.

It's not to say that they didn't want their daughter to follow her dreams, it was more that they knew what the life of a Shinobi entailed and most of the time, wouldn't wish it upon a child. The time of war was heavy upon their shoulders and soldiers barely on the cusp of adulthood were sent out as canon fodder.

"Better for her to go with our blessing?" Kizashi offered, rubbing the back of his neck as he ruminates all the possibilities. "I don't want her having to hide something from us."

"Training first, we'll send her a year later." There would be no compromise on this.

Mebuki's sharp emerald eyes promised him painful punishment should his answer be anything but a dutiful 'Yes dear'.

The chant of " _snacks, snacks, snacks_ " reached them before their daughter does.

Her smile is wide as she announces her presence rather than slinking into the room unnoticed. Her wine coloured hair softly curls around her chin and her eyelashes flutter enticingly, beckoning her parents to feed her whatever snacks that she desired.

"Can I have mochi ice cream?"

"After you have a piece of fruit." Mebuki haggled easily, dropping their adult conversation with ease as Mio slipped her hand into her mother's.

The girl wrinkled her nose. "No apples."

"Nectarine?"

She considered it. "Acceptable."

* * *

Mebuki checked her watch once more, wondering whether or not she should simply leave at that point. She'd been sat at the table for nearly forty minutes and her company had yet to arrive. Ten minutes? That was understandable, but as the hand of the clock moved, so did her patience.

She'd already had two cups of tea and the server was starting to give her think stink eye as they moved into what was probably the busiest time of day for them.

"Mebuki!"

Mikoto hustled towards her with the determination of a bull, slipping through the throngs much to their annoyance.

Then again, Mebuki had to place her tea down so she didn't spill it all over herself since her shoulders were shaking with laughter, Mikoto didn't really seem to give a fuck about them. It was the first time since they'd become somewhat friends that she'd seen the other woman with a hair out of place.

She looked absolutely run ragged as she slipped into the empty seat across from her.

"uvI'm so sorry I'm late, Fugaku tried to pass it off that I hadn't told him about tea today and that I was supposed to be looking after Itachi," Flapping her hands before immediately setting about fixing her bun, a few strands having come loose but she looked as pretty as ever. "That man, I swear."

"Kizashi's more than happy to take both of them, you know?" It was something she'd offered multiples time, god knows her husband would love having another baby to dote on. "I mean, you'll probably have to wrestle to get Itachi back at the end of the day, but."

"Ah, I'll give the offer some thought."

Admittedly, the two didn't have a lot in common.

It was motherhood though which had dragged the two of them together, the only two kunoichis within their overlapping social groups to have had children. Mikoto was weighed down with the advice and expectations as a Clan Matriarch, she was, after all, birthing clan heirs. Mebuki on the other hand hated that there was so little support for herself and refused to rely too heavily on her mother-in-law.

Tsume was also a frequent visitor at their little tea breaks, happy to provide her own little tidbits and dry humour into the fray. Kizashi and Tsume went way back, having been good friends in the Academy.

"Fugaku wants to start training Itachi."

Mebuki's mind came to a screeching halt.

"He's only two… three, nearly?" She couldn't wrap her head around it, not entirely. Mebuki wasn't from a Clan, at least, not a Shinobi careered one. The Uchiha ran the Police Force as well so more often than not, if a boy didn't end up in the Shinobi roster then they acted as a civilian member of the police.

Mikoto looked to be on the verge of crumbling as she waved down a server for tea.

"I don't know what to do," She confessed quietly. The two of them silent as the young server came over to pour them another tea each, gossip was always thriving in Konoha and they took precautions to make sure they weren't overhead.

A small seal was attached to the underside of the table as soon as Mikoto had sat down. A gift from Minato, she'd told her, it prevented them from being overhead.

"The Clan is placing more and more pressure on Fugaku to start training Itachi, he's already shown some talent," Sipping her tea, Mikoto stared off without actually having anything to focus on. She hissed as the tea scalded her tongue. "I mean, ...he's just a baby though, my baby."

"Mothers know best." Mebuki put in, firm and unwavering.

There was a sharper edge to Mikoto at her words, even if her eyes weren't focused as she nodded.

"Exactly, I want him to enter the Academy, I want him to have a childhood, to make friends and graduate at the proper age," A small smile pulling at her lips before she looked over at Mebuki. "To be lumped into a Genin team and have to do D-rank missions, to have to catch Tora."

The two kunoichi's shuddered.

Despite the difference in ranks, Mebuki quite happy remaining as a Chunin and Mikoto (unwillingly) retired when she'd reached Jonin, everyone had to undertake the retrieve Tora mission at some point in their Genin career.

"They want you to have more kids, right?" Mebuki murmured, innocent and demure as she sipped her tea.

The other woman knew better by now to be taken in by the guise.

"Well, all I'm saying is," A devious smirk pulled at Mebuki's lips, the one which her husband had come to fear. "That you're in control of your body, and if they want another heir, then perhaps they should think about treating the current one better."

"They'd insist that Fugaku take on a mistress."

"And you'd insist on chopping off his-"

"Mebuki!" Mikoto glanced up in shock, her cheeks turning a vivid pink.

"Fugaku loves you, despite the grump that he is. He wouldn't do that to you, and you _know_ it," With a small smile, she placed one hand over Mikoto's. Despite not having all that much in common, they were friends and they had one another's backs. "So go tell him, because have you ever even told him how worried you are?"

There was a reluctant, "Well, no."

Mebuki leaned back in her chair.

"There you go," There was another pause as they waved the server over for a refill once more, Mikoto vowing to give them a tip. "Mio wants to join the Academy at some point as well, we'll have to do a playdate at some point."

"Itachi does need to socialise with people his age."

* * *

 **CHAPTER WORD COUNT: 2064**

 **STORY WORD COUNT: 3413**


	3. Intro Arc: Tricks

**TITLE:** florescence

 **SUMMARY:** To be an older sister, was a full-time job. Her career as a Shinobi was simply a hobby. SI/OC AU. Rewrite.

 **AUTHOR NOTE:** So this is super late and to be honest I had too much going on to keep up with regular updates. I did really enjoy writing this chapter though, a lot of Mio's behaviours are based on a little girl I used to babysit when I was younger. She was a menace, it was brilliant to unleash her unsuspecting people. A lot of this is going to be written from other people's perspectives rather than Mio's because I think it's rather interesting to see people try to work her out. Thank you to everyone who favourited or followed or reviewed!

I don't have a beta-reader and have no idea how to go about acquiring one, so this is mostly checked by me which means that it's riddled with errors thanks to my short attention span and spell check.

* * *

"We'd rather she didn't come back."

The statement was followed by a strained smile.

The young caretaker looked like she'd been put through the wringer.

Mebuki glanced down at her paint-splattered child.

Mio, for the most part, looked completely unaffected by everything that was going on around her. Then again, this was probably the outcome that she'd been hoping for, she'd hated the daycare since the very first day.

After one too many double-bookings between hers and Kizashi's schedule, they'd found her a place at the daycare with high praise from their neighbours.

Mio had declared it be a _horrible horrible_ place from the get-go.

Which was confusing; at first glance, the daycare was lovely.

It was light and colourful, painted murals on the walls of rainbows and leaves. There were numerous play areas set up, as well as small classes being run for some of the older children in their care. Not to mention, some more select classes that were for children aiming to end up in the Academy. Overall, it was more than everything they needed at that moment in time.

It was pretty and distracting to look at, airy and open.

Of course, then Mebuki collected her daughter that day.

Perhaps it was the stress of knowing she now had to find alternative childcare, _quickly_ , and maybe it was all in her head but all of a sudden, everything about the place was… garish.

The yellows were too bright and the forever grinning faces of the toys that littered the room were suddenly a lot more creepy and a lot less cute. A shiver running down her spine, even as she pursed her lips.

"Fine." Mebuki nodded, blinking when the caretaker carried on talking.

There was a small vindictive stab of satisfaction as she gathered her daughter in her arms and turned away. The caretaker still talking, the pitch of her voice increasing and demanding. In all honesty, though, it was simply white noise to her as she left the woman in the dust and vowed never to go back.

Her daughter was being kicked out for what looked like a little paint.

After two weeks spent there, whilst she'd paid for a full month, at _full price._

Like fuck were they getting money for 'damages'.

Mio rested her cheek against her mother's collarbone, breath tickling her neck. She was calm and collected, there was no hyperactivity and there was no boasting about getting kicked out. They were quiet as they strode down the streets, garnering a few odd looks as they went.

That was probably because he daughter was a patchwork of colours.

Which meant _bath time_ when they got home.

"Riku threw paint first, I gots him back after he got purple in Ikue's hair," Mio confessed quietly as they got closer to home, her hands curling in the material of her mother's dress and her eyes closing. It was around the time that she usually had a nap anyways.

"You know you're going to be put in time-out for this." There was no beating around the bush.

Mio shrugged.

"He was being mean."

Unfortunately, as soon as they got home and the bath was drawn, Mebuki was called away for her part-time shift down at the bakery. Since Kizashi was on a B-Rank mission that had taken him to the outskirts of the Land of Fire, she'd had to swiftly drain the bath and drop her daughter off at her mother-in-law's.

Still splattered with paint.

"It looks like you had fun today," Noriko murmured quietly as she gently scrubbed at a stubborn blue patch on her granddaughter's cheek. The water littered with bubbles and colourful toys that her only grandchild played with quietly as she was cleaned.

Mio smiled and offered her grandmother the boat she was playing with.

"Riku was mean to Ikue," She told her grandmother with as much seriousness that a four-year-old could muster.

"It's good of you to stand up for your friends," Noriko agreed, nodding as she mirrored her granddaughter's serious expression. "But, next time, you should get back at them in a way which doesn't get you in trouble."

Mio blinked.

"No time-outs?"

"Mhm, you have to be very sneaky, like a Shinobi," Noriko murmured softly as she poured a generous amount of shampoo in her hands. It was unscented, unlike the one Mebuki usually used on her granddaughter which left her smelling like a lavender field, old habits ingrained into her despite retirement. "All good Shinobi are sneaky."

"Like Baba?" Her granddaughter was a clever little girl, and a lot smarter than many gave her credit for. Even if she did look a sight with her hair in a sudsy mohawk.

"Like Baba," She agreed, eyes wrinkling at the corners as she smiled. "Do you want to be a Shinobi?"

Mio nodded, a few suds flying off at the vigorous head shake.

"I wants to, I wants to!" She chirped, eyes wide and her mouth stretching into a gleeful grin even as her grandmother slowly began to rinse away the shampoo. "I wants to be strong and brave and smart."

"That's a long list," Noriko pretended to be put-out, continuing to cup the lukewarm bath water and wash away the bubbles. "I'm sure you'd be an _amazing_ Shinobi, hm? I could even teach you a few family tricks."

"Trick _trick trick!_ " Mio chanted, clapping her hands and making an attempt to climb out of the bath.

Noriko laughed, reminded fondly of Kizashi when he was a similar age, there was so much determination and _energy_. She'd been positively drained as a new mother, the child had run circles around her morning, noon and night. It seemed to be hereditary as well from the way her granddaughter was bobbing about, trying to clamber out of the bath so she could see whatever 'Trick' her grandmother had up her sleeves.

"Easy now, sweetheart," She murmured, grabbing the colourful towel with octopuses printed on it, easily plucking the girl out of the bath and swaddling her in the soft material. "First, we're going to have a snack, maybe a nap and then I'll show you a trick, hm?"

Mio wriggled in her grandmother's arms, her head eventually emerging from the towel, her red hair in a soggy mess.

"Please can I have some mochi ice cream?"

"After last time, no chance little lady," A shiver ran down the woman's spine, remembering the gleeful cackles and the red blur.

Her granddaughter on a sugar high was a weapon of mass destruction.

"I'm home!" Her husband called out, the front door closing quietly behind him and Noriko could make out the shuffle of him slipping off his shoes in favour of his slippers. Ratty blue things which had faded with age, something she complained about quite often. He'd slipped out an hour ago to meet with some friends in the outer district, old friends which indulged in his terrible habit of cheap cigars. Good friends, bad influences. "Where is everyone?"

"Poppa!"

"Do I hear," Kenta's voice suddenly a lot closer and his head poking around the bathroom door with his own excited smile. "A little monster?"

"Someone was thrown out of daycare today," Noriko informed him, her lips pursed as she caught wind of the faint smell of smoke which clung to him, adjusting her arms around the flailing toddler whilst Mio's arms were outstretched, reaching for her grandfather. "So we have her for the afternoon."

"Someone's been naughty huh?" He swooped in, stealing her out from the cradle of her arms, looking blissfully happy as Mio pressed a wet kiss to his bristly cheek. "You know, naughty little monsters don't get ice cream."

Her aghast expression made the two of them smile.

"Come on, we'll get you dressed and fed," Noriko hummed as she swept out of the room, the two of them following after her, babbling away quietly.

It didn't really surprise either of them that as soon as Mio had wriggled into a clean sundress that she'd started to flag, her head drooping and her eyes sliding half-mast. Still, Noriko insisted she has something to eat before she ended up snoozing in her usual spot under the window where the sun shone through.

A few apple slices later and their granddaughter was conked out in that exact spot.

"Mebuki's going to pick her up in a couple of hours," She told her husband as he sat down in the armchair, smiling as he forced her to sit in his lap. The two of them shifting into a comfortable position, his chin resting on top of her head as she curled up against him.

"Enjoy it whilst it lasts then," Kenta murmured, watching his granddaughter with a soft smile. "In a few years, she'll be running around, insisting she can do everything on her own."

"Did Kizashi miss that phase?"

"Maybe because you made him such a mama's boy," Kenta chuckled, wheezing and flinching when she jabbed him in the stomach. "I'm joking, jeez woman."

"I'll laugh the day she brings home her first boy."

Kenta went pale at the thought and she wondered how their son would react to the situation as well. "Don't speak of such things."

"Hypocrite." Noriko clucked.

* * *

Of course, their peace couldn't last for too long.

Kenta was struck down not long after with an illness that left him bedbound, much to everyone's concerns. Noriko dragged him to the hospital herself and began to care for him around the clock. Mebuki wasn't willing to burden her family further, however, it came to a point where she was struggling with what to do with Mio when work came calling.

Tsume was out on a mission one particular night.

Kizashi was returning too late in the evening.

Her parents-in-law were still under the weather, not that she'd even consider asking.

And it left her with one last ditch effort.

"I'm really sorry to thrust this one you, but I'm this close to begging the daycare to take her back," Mebuki ducked her head, almost ashamed to admit that.

"Mebuki, shut up," Mikoto rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh. "I've said that it's fine a thousand times, god knows how many times you've offered to do the same for me."

"That's different."

"How?"

"Because you've never taken me up on the offer."

"Would I get my son back if I did?" Mikoto asked, an eyebrow arched and Mebuki looked reluctant to nod in agreement. Her husband was a little overzealous, he adored being a dad and if she hadn't put her foot down, he'd have demanded seven more… at least.

"I just don't like asking."

" _Really_? I couldn't tell."

"Fugaku is a terrible influence on you,"

"I should hope so, I am her husband," Speak of the devil, the man strolled into the kitchen, rolling his eyes just as his wife did moments before. He pressed a kiss to his wifes temple as he reached around her to grab a mug, hoping to have some tea before he headed out. "Do we have a guest for dinner?"

"Hi hi!" Mio waved from her seat on the counter, answering his question.

"Hello," Fugaku murmured, his lips twitching as he shared a look with Mikoto whilst he made his tea. "Itachi's just waking up from his nap if you'd like to meet him, Mio."

"You're the grump, aren't you?"

Mebuki's face drained of colour even as Mikoto threw her head back and cackled.

"Is that what your mum calls me?" Fugaku asked, his lips curving into a smirk as he watched his wifes friend out the corner of his eye. She looked horrified, her hand clamped over her eyes in mortification and refusing to look at him.

"S'okay to be grumpy, I'm grumpy sometimes, like when they don't let me have ice cream." The little girl looked rather put out by that as well, pouting and looking the picture of innocence with her little red pigtails. It snapped her mother out of her horrified trance.

"Whatever you do, don't give her ice cream before bed," Mebuki warned them.

Mio blinked before flashing them an innocent smile.

"Itachi prefers dango," Mikoto confessed, humming to herself and absentmindedly stealing her husband's mug away from him as he finished brewing his tea. His indignant twitch going ignored as she had a sip or two. "I've tried to convince him that it takes weeks for dango be made so he's only allowed it once a month."

"You're an evil genius," With a glance at her watch, Mebuki soured. "And I'm going to be late, are you sure-?"

"Get out of my house, Haruno, your daughter will be in one piece when you get back," Fugaku grunted as he took back his tea. " ... _probably_."

Mebuki looked decidedly unimpressed but thanked them again.

"Love you." Mio announced when her mum told her she was leaving.

"I love you too, be good okay?" She murmured, pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead and laughing at her unimpressed expression. "Be polite at least then."

"Boring."

Mebuki rolled her eyes before leaving.

There was a pause as the three of them lingered in the kitchen, Mio's feet kicking back and forth, Fugaku sipping his tea with a thoughtful expression, Mikoto quietly checking Itachi's faint chakra signature.

"Mio," Fugaku murmured, capturing her attention entirely. "How would you like some ice cream before you go home?"

Mikoto's eyes shut in frustration as the girl lit up.

* * *

 **CHAPTER WORD COUNT: 2335**

 **STORY WORD COUNT: 5748**


	4. Intro Arc: Progress

**TITLE:** florescence

 **SUMMARY:** To be an older sister, was a full-time job. Her career as a Shinobi was simply a hobby. SI/OC AU. Rewrite.

 **AUTHOR NOTE:** Holy shit! Thank you to everyone reviewed the last chapter! Was not expecting that! I'm glad you guys are enjoying my take on the Uchiha's, who I imagined was equally as crazy just in the privacy of their own home. Every family has their quirks! _**#pettyuchihas**. _Slow and steady goes this story, laced with cameo appearances, Kushina will make an appearance at some point along with Minato and his Team. How is this a self-insert when the OC has displayed no knowledge of future events, you may ask! Well, I have a long-winded explanation, but! It'll become increasingly obvious over time.

 **EDIT:** I know, I posted this a little while ago and then took it down but! There were a few errors mainly since I muddled up my timeline a little bit! Sorry for the confusion! Hopefully this makes a bit more sense!

A quick reminder that I don't have a beta-reader and have no idea how to go about acquiring one, so this is checked by me which also means that it's probably riddled with errors thanks to my short attention span (Think: Goldfish) and spell check.

* * *

Itachi was, for all intents and purposes, being held hostage.

Whether by his mum or the girl which she'd deposited in his room, it was entirely debatable.

He had barely had any time to adjust after waking up from his nap before the door opened and a quick introduction was made, and just as quickly as the door opened, it was shut. Leaving behind the guest which they were apparently having over for dinner.

A guest who was brimming with energy and enthusiasm.

However, as Itachi sat primly in the corner of the room, she didn't make any attempt at starting a conversation with him.

Instead, her attention was drawn to everything else in the room which she began to explore, leaving nothing untouched. The toys which he played with, the potted plants were examined and she even had a look under the bed which he was sat on. It was the books on the shelves which received the most attention, his parents having placed all of the age-appropriate ones on the bottom shelves as if it would stop him climbing up to grab at whatever he needed.

Mio, the daughter of one his mother's friends, took the same approach as himself, her leg lifting so she could use the bookshelf as a ladder. Her small limbs pushing herself up to the fifth shelf before she managed to find a book which interested her, or maybe that was simply as far as her limbs could take her?

He watched, he observed, he didn't like to talk much.

The book fell to the floor with a clatter and she slowly climbed back down with practised ease. She was quieter than Hana, another one of his mum's friends children who she insisted he socialize with, the girl insisted on following him around and chattering his ear off about anything and everything.

Mio simply opened the book and started to run her finger along the lines, as if she could read and understand what it was saying.

Neither of them could read, Itachi was struggling with the basics even at his somewhat advanced levels.

"What's this word?" She eventually asked ten minutes later.

She held up the book and her fingers jabbed at a certain character which she couldn't exactly decipher. It took Itachi a few minutes to remember it himself, his head tipped as he struggled to remember the vaguest lessons which his father had given him a few months ago.

" _Swiftly_ ," Itachi murmured.

"That makes so much more sense," Mio grumbled to herself, slamming the book down with a frustrated sigh. Her body flopping down on the floor so that her chin rested on the pages, her eyes eventually slid to watch him, just as he was watching her. "You don't talk much, do you?"

"I talk." It was all he offered.

"S'okay, most people talk but don't really say anything," Mio dismissed it with a wave of her hand, grinning from ear to ear in a way which reminiscent of Aunt Kushina. "One of poppa's friends can't hear anymore, so they learnt hand signs to talk."

He nodded.

"We'll probably learn it when we get to the Academy," Mio mused, lips pursing and her eyes squinting. "You are going to the Academy, aren't you?"

All Itachi could do was nod but it seemed to satisfy her.

"Good, it'd be lonely if I didn't know anyone," She declared.

In some ways, Itachi was reminded of his cousin, Shisui, who was his self-proclaimed babysitter slash best friend for life. Shisui had been a constant presence in his life since the day he was born, apparently he had been enamoured with Itachi as a baby since there'd been complications with his own mother's pregnancy; which meant Shisui wouldn't be granted the siblings he desperately wanted, so he took Itachi under his wing.

Mikoto thought it was adorable, Fugaku grumbled about acquiring another brat (regardless of the fact that he always made sure that Shisui had a place set at dinner and a bed made up in their house).

"You have hair like Aunt Kushina," Itachi commented blandly.

His interest was caught again with the way her eyes fluttered at the name mention.

"Kushina?" She repeated, the word falling from her lip slowly, like she was testing the waters. "Who's that?"

"One of mothers friends, she has red hair too," It wasn't as dark though, his Aunt Kushina's hair was, as everyone had teased, the colour of a tomato. Whilst Mio's on the other hand, was a bit darker, cherry red.

"Hm, that's nice, my dad has pink hair." _Odd_ , but Itachi said nothing.

The chatter streamed through slowly but steadily, talking quietly about anything and everything that caught their fancy. Itachi was quick to note though, that it was all of shallow content. There was nothing really that reflected what was going on in the girls mind. She was quick to smile and began to laugh or tease him freely but whatever leeway he made was cut short when the door opened.

"Dinners ready!"

Mikoto glowed as the two stood up, her hands laid on her hips in smug satisfaction- her plan had obviously been a success. She'd pat herself on the back and collect the money which Shisui now owed her later, since Itachi had **not** flat out ignored their guest like his cousin had claimed he would.

Everyone had their vices, Mikoto was just thankful she didn't have Lady Tsunade's luck when it came to gambling.

* * *

Fugaku did not, in fact, give any ice cream to Mio before Mebuki arrived to pick her up after dinner. Mainly due to the fact that there wasn't in the house but before she left, Mio extracted a promise from him that he'd create a stash for whenever she graced their humble abode. Something which Itachi found rather unfair since he wasn't allowed his monthly sweet treat for another week or so

However Mebuki didn't take Fugaku's threat lightly and instead, in a very mature and non-petty way, slyly slid Itachi a small bag with at least three sticks of dango inside.

See how he liked dealing with sugar-induced hyperactivity.

* * *

"Keep your legs steady!"

Her hands wrapped around her daughter's ankles, slowly repositioning her limbs so that her handstand was as close to perfect as she could manage. Mio's face slowly turning pink and her brow furrowed in concentration as she listened to her mother's advice.

The training ground was empty at that time of day, the ones further from Konoha usually were saved for those with large collateral damage; another reason they were very rarely used, simply for the fact that some Shinobi were too lazy.

It made a perfect place for a picnic.

"Okay, and now bring your legs down," Mebuki instructed her daughter, her hands hovering just in case.

Mio struggled for a second, her handstand wobbling before her legs slowly bending behind her until her feet slapped down onto the ground in a perfect bridge.

Of course, it only lasted for a second.

A second after her bare feet touched the grass, Mio crumpled into a heap on the floor, her chest rising and falling quickly as she tried to catch her breath. They'd been working at it for a couple of hours, starting with simple stretches that Mebuki had been taught, aiming to slowly improve her flexibility. Even if it was painful, Mebuki was satisfied with her daughter's progress and it always helped that her mother-in-law was on hand for tips as well.

"Good job! We'll keep doing this every day or so until you can hold that position for a while," She clapped her hands, her usual qipao dress discarded for some black three-quarter pants and a long sleeved top. "Then we'll move onto backflips!"

It brought back memories of when she was first learning to become a Shinobi, her mother had managed to acquire somewhat unusual tutelage for her- as travelling merchants, they picked up somewhat odd acquaintances throughout their vast travels. Mebuki spent an entire summer before attending the Academy learning an odd version of taijutsu that relied heavily on one's flexibility and agility. Something which she was eager to teach to someone else.

"It hurts," Mio whined, otherwise unmoving from her crumpled heap.

"Mhm, and it will for a while but that's your body getting stronger," Mebuki dismissed her feeble complaints.

"...Every day or so?" She sounded miserable at the idea.

"Maybe even twice a day!" Mebuki couldn't wait.

Kizashi chuckled from his seat in the shade, his back pressed against the trunk of the tree as he watched them. Their shoes left at the edge of the blanket and the food laid untouched in their basket.

With the influx of missions he'd received, it meant that he hadn't seen much of either of his girls in the past months.

It was touch and go, sometimes he was back in time for dinner only to be pulled away for weeks at a time the next morning. He didn't enjoy the fact that the missions he took pulled him away from his family but he loved what he did. A dilemma he knew that Mebuki was suffering from as well. She was only on part-time, which usually meant missions within the village and he knew that she was craving something a bit _more_ than the occasional messenger or being forced to find Madam Shijimi's cat. _Again._

"Papa, she's crazy."

Mio had rolled over onto her stomach, glaring at him as if that was entirely his fault.

"She was like that when I married her," Kizashi offered with a grin, wincing at the glower she shot him over their daughter's shoulder. He was going to pay for a comment like that later, and not in a good way. "Mama's just really enthusiastic about taijutsu, she's always been very good at it."

"Well, I had to be," Mebuki snorted, folding her arms over her chest. "I wasn't very good at everything else, I was just lucky that Duy took pity on me and gave me some tips."

"Shame what happened, how's his son?"

"As lively as ever, he challenged Hatake to a race the other day," Mebuki told him, looking ever so amused and when he opened his mouth to comment on how tame the challenge was compared to the others, she stopped him. "A one-legged race, Kizashi."

He hummed.

"Yeah, that sounds more like Gai."

"Who's Gai?" Mio asked as she began to crawl towards the blanket, her eyes on the prize which was whatever was in the basket.

"A son of an old friend," Mebuki said, walking over and sitting down with her husband, determined to enjoy their day off together. "He was sort of like a mentor to me, like Tsume was to your papa."

"Tsume? My mentor? Pfft, she was anything but, just followed me around and told me what I was doing wrong," Kizashi grumbled goodnaturedly as he thought of his old teammate. She'd been having trouble with her Clan lately, her leadership questioned and she'd had to put them in their places more often than not. "We went to the Academy together and I just never got rid of her."

"You think that'll happen to me and Itachi?" Their friendship, whilst odd, was something which pleased the both of them. Mio was a capricious child and she often changed her mind about everything and everyone. Some individuals who she'd previously been alright with, were suddenly her biggest enemies the next day. The most vehement reaction she'd had was a couple of months ago when she suddenly started screaming bloody murder at the mere sight of the Sannin, Orochimaru.

Itachi, so far, had managed to keep her attention; Mebuki would go as far as to say that her daughter was quite protective over her new friend. Of whom, might she add, was quite capable of protecting himself but was always a little stunned at the ferocity Mio protected him with.

"There's a high chance you'll go to the Academy together, yes." Mebuki ruffled her daughters hair fondly, handing her the bento box she'd made for her. "Whether or not you stay friends is entirely up to you.

"The good ol' days," Kizashi murmured, looking lost in his own memories of the Academy.

It had been where they'd met afterall, with a few years between them, Kizashi had been in the graduating class by the time he'd actually met Mebuki. Of course, he'd been utterly terrified of her at the time since he'd just watched the other classes spars and she'd slammed her heel into another child's temple without hesitation.

"When do I get to go to the Academy?" Mio whined, the words slurred around her mouthful of food.

"When we enroll you."

"When's that?"

"When I get around to it." Mebuki looked increasingly amused the more their daughter looked put out by her answers. It had gone unsaid that they would enroll their daughter a year later than planned, something which Mikoto had wholeheartedly approved of and planned to do the same with Itachi, regardless of the Clan's opinions.

"Girls," Kizashi's tone was as close to stern as he could possibly manage for such a jovial man. His lips twitching as he tried to scowl. "Play nice now."

"She started it." Mebuki muttered, grinning when her daughter squawked indignantly.

* * *

 **CHAPTER WORD COUNT: 2191**

 **STORY WORD COUNT: 7939**


	5. Intro Arc: Change

**TITLE:** florescence

 **SUMMARY:** To be an older sister, was a full-time job. Her career as a Shinobi was simply a hobby. SI/OC AU. Rewrite.

1\. _Ah!_ Sorry this took me a while to churn out, exams and essays have been awful and now. . . I have even more to do. But that's when I start to procrastinate and write chapters like these so then I don't have to do my University work.

2\. Thank you for the reviews and follows and favourites! You guys are amazing! Sorry for the mix up as well with the previous chapter, hopefully, things will go a little smoother with the chapters (meaning I won't fuck it up again).

3\. Not much Uchiha Family mentions, this chapter is mostly focused on the Haruno family and fleshing out their relationships and what things are like at that moment in time. Sakura has still not arrived yet, for those eagerly awaiting her entrance but she should finally grace us with her presence in the next chapter. This chapter is more a slice of life, sort of, as well as setting the stage for how some relationships will progress.

4\. A quick reminder that I don't have a beta-reader, and having no idea how to acquire one so all I have is my shoddy attention-span and spell check to slay the beast. So this is probably riddled with errors. Let me know what you think or how to improve!

* * *

"I want a sister." Mio announced on a warm May morning.

Kizashi and Mebuki said nothing, rolling their eyes as they continued to drink their coffee - getting ready for the day.

* * *

"My body aches in places which it shouldn't," Mio whined, her fingers clutching the material of Noriko's dress with a solid pout upon her features. It was heavily put on which only meant that her granddaughter was fishing for sympathy, she knew the difference, her husband, however…

"My precious monster!" He clucked.

Kenta easily scooped the girl up, who seemed to bask into the attention, her arms hooking around her grandfather's neck. Her dramatic tendencies were funny for the most part, pretty green eyes wide and almost innocent- crimson eyelashes fluttering like butterflies against her cheeks. It simply reminded Noriko of the darkening circles under her eyes though, another thing to worry about for another day.

"Can I have ice cream to make me feel better?"

"... uh," Kenta drawled, his eyes sliding over to his wife with a distinctly panicked look.

"No ice cream." Noriko was the one who had to put her foot down, her husband was putty under their granddaughter's deceptive looks. -

"Worth a shot."

Instantly, the pout was gone from her lips and she squirmed out of her grandfather's grip, dropping to the floor with the catlike grace that had been honed more in the past weeks. In fact, Mio barely spared them a glance as she grabbed a piece of fruit out of the bowl and shot off outside, no doubt to start target practice with the few blunt kunai that Noriko had given her.

It took her husband a second to realize what happened.

And when it clicked, it took everything for Noriko not to laugh, his jaw dropping as he pointed after their granddaughter. His indignant expression, his glare sweeping from where Mio had disappeared from to his wife as if to say ' _Did you see that?_ '. Kenta's jaw shut with an audible click, his brow pulled together and his eye almost seemed to be twitching.

"I feel used."

Noriko threw her head back and laughed.

* * *

"Is she still having trouble sleeping?" Mikoto asked, taking a generous sip of her tea as they perused the menu of their usual place. Tsume glancing up from the menu, having finally been able to shake the elders of the clan and be able to come along to Mebuki and Mikoto's usual meetup.

"The brat can't sleep?"

"She can, just not a lot," Mebuki sighed, lips pursed and the words on the menu were just gobbledygook to her. It had started small, Mio had begun to get fussy around bedtime, she was caught reading past lights out, she started asking for things so she wouldn't have to go to bed. They thought it was just a rebellious phase. Then, one night, Kizashi had heard her crying when he'd woken up to get a glass of water. "She's been having bad dreams for a while now, and she didn't want to tell us."

"Jeez, tough break," Tsume murmured, her eyebrows skimming her hairline. "Must be pretty bad."

"She won't talk about it, she just tries to nap when she can," Which led to some… strange sleeping positions actually and unusual spots which her daughter had begun to nap in. Like when Mebuki had noticed all of her cleaning stuff had been moved into a different cupboard, so when she looked under the sink, imagine how surprised she was to find her daughter curled up under there like a cat.

"Hana's taken to sleeping in the kennels with her pups," Tsume admitted with a roguish grin that simply highlighted her clan marks and made her look… a touch feral. A shiver ran down Mebuki's back and she wondered how her husband survived a genin team with the woman. "It's adorable but a pain in my ass."

"Itachi likes to sleep in high places," Mikoto also threw in.

"High places?"

Mebuki and Tsume shared a look, completely baffled.

"I found him on top of the fridge once, we still don't know if he climbed up there and how" Mikoto seemed both prideful and exasperated at the same time much to their amusement.

"What is _wrong_ with our kids?" Tsume huffed, stretching and accidentally nudging Kuromaru with her foot, her faithful companion having laid between their feet quietly. "Shinobi kids are _weird_."

"I hear that," Mikoto grunted.

Mebuki hummed in agreement before actually starting to read the menu, the same waiter having circled their table for the third time. He was obviously getting impatient. "Have you tried the tempura here?"

"Hm, no, is it better than that other place?"

* * *

Haruno Kizashi, please?"

The frantic tone was laced with her words, and right at that moment, the woman behind the computer was her worst enemy and her best friend. The woman stared at the computer and it seemed like it took forever for her sharp beady eyes to focus and find which room her husband was being kept in. Mio, for once, was still in her arms. She was getting too old to be picked up but _goddamnit_ she didn't have time for that.

"Room 314." The receptionist told her, voice clipped.

She offered no thanks but Mebuki would probably remember to send the woman flowers or some shit when her husband _wasn't_ in the freaking _hospital_.

The news had arrived that morning, that his B-Rank mission had been upgraded halfway through, something which most shinobi anticipated. Something went wrong though and the details eluded her or were above her clearance level, all she knew was that her husband had been injured badly and one of his teammates was KIA. Mebuki's heart was in her throat when she'd received the news and she'd had to wait to hear when he'd returned to the village.

"Mama," Mio whispered, her breath tickling against her neck but she didn't have time to indulge her daughter right now. Her feet marching down the corridor with a purpose, a mindless focus on the hallway in front of her.

The tug on her shirt made her pause.

"You already walked past the room," Mio whispered.

They backstepped a few doors and slipped into the room quietly, Mio squirming to be put down and Mebuki all but dropped her.

Kizashi was silent, out of it, a blinding blur of colours against the stark white which plagued the hospital. His tan flesh, his pink hair, he just didn't fit. It didn't seem right that he wasn't awake, that he was so still and unanimated, his enthusiasm leached out of him. It just… wasn't right.

"Haruno Mebuki?" A voice called and she turned to the doorway.

The doctor had her hands shoved into the pockets of her lab coat, looking for nonchalant and calm. And some part of her easy-going nature made Mebuki want to scream at her, but instead, she just nodded her head. She didn't trust her voice at that moment in time.

"He's going to be okay, he's come out of surgery, we sorted out the internal injuries and stitched him back up," The doctors never really told you what was wrong when Shinobi came to them, what was the point if they were going to make a full recovery? Why worry about the details? Kizashi was stitched back up, everything was sorted. "He might experience a few aches now and then but, he's going to make a full recovery."

"Thank you." It was a quiet whisper.

The doctor nodded and slipped out of the room, leaving their family to it.

It wasn't the first serious injury her husband had received, but it was the first since their daughter was born. The first time since that long forgotten heart in her throat, blood thrumming in her ears sensation took over. The panic, the mindless panic which swept through her and her only thought was, _this is it, this is the one which takes him from me_.

She'd forgotten it, and now she was so harshly reminded.

"Papa's hurt," Mio murmured quietly, having taken the chair from the corner and dragged it over to the edge of her father's bed. She'd climbed up and taken his hand without a word, so quiet and solemn. She was too young to have to do this. "He's gonna be okay though, right?"

She looks up at her mother with expectations.

Mebuki gives her daughter a strained smile.

"Of course he will be," She hears herself say but at the same time, a traitorous voice whispers to her, _he's okay **this** time_.

She doesn't say anything else and neither does Mio, who is now playing with her father's fingers gently. Mebuki simply grabs the other chair and takes a seat next to her daughter, watching and waiting for her husband to wake up and greet them, having escaped death's door narrowly once again.

Mebuki was probably going to kill him herself for what he was putting her through.

* * *

"Well, shit."

The three of them stared, unblinking and surprised.

"Holy fuck."

Mebuki reached into the sink and picked up the slim test, white and pure except for the little pink plus mark. Did her hands shake when she reached to pick it up? You bet your ass they did but neither Mikoto nor Tsume commented, instead they stared at their friend for her reaction, for the fallout.

"I'm going to kill him."

Mebuki probably threatened her husband a little too much, now that she thought about it.

And apparently, her threats never really worked out the way they were supposed to if the pregnancy test in her quivering hands said anything. It was barely two weeks after his dire injuries. _Two weeks_ but maybe one thing had led to another, the relief and the anxiety and it had all bubbled over and -

"Hey, it takes two to make - " Tsume cut herself off, whether it was the slashing motion Mikoto was making at her throat or the dead glare which Mebuki settled her with, she decided not to finish that sentence so she could make it out alive. As logical as Tsume's point might have been, it didn't really mean that she wanted to hear it at that point in time. "Yeah, sorry."

"Are you okay?" Mikoto asked quietly, laying a hand on her friend's shoulder.

They had started once upon a time, so many years ago, as awkward friends of convenience. They were the only ones who'd had children in their circles, it made sense for them to be friends and it had been awkward for the first… year? Mikoto could safely say now though, that Mebuki was on her top ten of people. When Mikoto had gone through a dark and difficult time, Mebuki had been the one to help pick her up again.

She was determined to be able to return the favour.

"Honestly?" Mebuki murmured, looking a bit dazed and she couldn't take her eyes off of the test in front of her. "I'm a little surprised-"

"No shit."

"- and, kind of… happy?" She blinked, a small smile curling at her lips now, just at the corners.

"Another ankle biter, huh?" Tsume murmured to herself, placing her chin on Mebuki's other shoulder, staring at the pregnancy test in consideration. "How'd you think they're gonna take it?"

"Kizashi will be thrilled," Mikoto assured her.

"I was actually talking about the brat she has already." Tsume murmured, and the three of them considered Mebuki's daughter for a second. The beat of silence thick within the small cramped bathroom that they'd piled in, the tea in Tsume's living room no doubt having already gone cold.

"She'll be okay with it."

"Of course she will be."

There was an errant tone of doubt, worry and exasperation.

* * *

"- it's not to say that we'll love the baby any more than you but we will need to spend a lot of time with them-"

"Her."

Mebuki paused.

It had been a well-practised speech, she'd rehearsed it with Kizashi and with Mikoto and she'd even recited it to Tsume, though she was neither use nor ornament the support was appreciated. Her husband had taken the news as expected, he'd been thrilled, he'd cried and thanked her multiple times. It was very hard for her to remain angry with him, _but what had she been angry with him for, to begin with?_

Her parents-in-law had been thrilled and she'd finally heard back from her own family, her brother wishing their ever-growing family well and awaiting news of the birth. It was cool and it was vaguely formal but Mebuki had the rest of the Haruno clan for the warmth and love which families were supposed to have.

And all in all, it left her with one last job; _telling Mio_.

In all honesty, she'd imagined the worst.

Mebuki had foreseen tantrums and dislike from the get-go. Her daughter was an eccentric character at times but she was outgoing and sought attention like a sunflower turns towards the light. The idea that she was going to lose the spotlight? She'd been sure her eldest would have thrown the tantrum to end all tantrums.

She blinked.

"Excuse me?" Mebuki murmured quietly.

Mio didn't even look up from her drawing, the scribbles of green, red and the faintest squiggles of pinks filling her page. She was sleeping a little better, made it to bed at healthier times and the shadows were fading but she was still a little too pale. And sometimes, Mebuki found her napping at her grandparents when she shouldn't.

Improvement was still improvement though.

"It's going to be a girl." She said, it was a matter of fact, it was information.

Mio looked up from her - _unique_ \- drawing, smiling widely and her eyes glittering with the same sort of knowing which Mebuki had come to associate with Noriko. The woman knew all, _well_ , almost all. It seemed to roll right off her back, she didn't seem to really care that her parents were having another baby. That she wouldn't be their only, and therefore, the favourite child. Mebuki nodded slowly, awkwardly, watching her daughters grin widen at her mama's acceptance of the fact that she was due another daughter before carrying on drawing.

"Okay, . . . do you _want_ a sister?" Mebuki asked quietly, intent on getting to the root of this no matter what. No matter how odd Mio could come across.

"Mhm," Mio hummed.

" _Really_?"

"It's boring with just Itachi." It was a blunt but honest answer, if not a bit short.

"I see."

They sunk into a somewhat comfortable silence, Mebuki's hands reaching for her cooling cup of tea, one which she was actually allowed to drink. Eight months to go, she was back on leave, Kizashi was still abstaining from the roster due to his injuries and even when he started missions again, he'd be capped at C-Rank for a while. Hopefully until birth.

Her mind wandered traitorously to the decisions and changes she'd made.

Her waist felt distinctly naked without her _Hitai-ate_.

* * *

 **CHAPTER WORD COUNT: 2588**

 **STORY WORD COUNT: 10,527**


	6. Intro Arc: Sakura

**TITLE:** florescence

 **SUMMARY:** To be an older sister, was a full-time job. Her career as a Shinobi was simply a hobby. SI/OC AU. Rewrite.

1\. _Wow, yeah, uh_ , hi? It's been a while I know. Sorry! University is in the last _**WEEK**_ , so, obviously, I'm procrastinating vital work by writing this chapter.

2\. Thank you for the reviews and follows and favourites! You guys are totally amazing. It means the world to me.

3\. **Sakura**! I know a _lot_ of you were wanting her to arrive soon, so here she is, in all her mute, drooly baby glory. This chapter is very Haruno family-based, _as will most of the story_ , especially since I enjoy exploring their entire family and what it could've been without going too far-out. There will be more mentions of others in the next chapter as well as addressing the actual plot, _eventually_.

4\. Once again thank you so much for your reviews and messages, let me know what you think and what you'd like to see happen!

4\. A quick reminder that I don't have a beta-reader, and having no idea how to acquire one so all I have is my shoddy attention-span and spell check to slay the beast. So this is probably riddled with errors. Let me know what you think or how to improve!

* * *

Nine months.

 _Nine._

Mebuki shifted the small bundle in her arms, letting her fingers brush against the flushed cheek of her new daughter.

It was a lot like her previous pregnancy, it had seemed to last forever but also be over in an instant at the very same time. Whilst it felt short, a lot could change in nine months.

Both Mikoto and Tsume were pregnant again, the two were quietly (well, Mikoto was quiet, Tsume? Not so much) competing to see who would give birth first. They were both due in June time. Mebuki had simply rolled her eyes when they'd each made their own announcements, teasingly accusing them of being copycats.

It helped though, the three of them suffering together, _misery loved company_.

On the twenty-eighth of March, it was over.

Well, after _seventeen_ hours of labour.

Thankfully, Kizashi had actually been in the village this time. He'd wept and sweet-talked her through the entire things like he should've been able to do the first time around. He was there and that was what mattered, even if at that second he was hunting down some semi-decent snacks for both himself and for Mio.

Of whom was peeking over the edge of the bed.

She'd been sort of, _left out of the loop a little_. Kizashi had, after realising what was happening, left her with his parents whilst her mama was in the hospital and was fetched after Mebuki had the sleep she rightfully deserved after the birth. A little shy and a little curious, she sidled around the edge of the bed, her eyes focused on the tiny bundle in her mother's arms.

"You want to meet her?" Mebuki asked, grinning tiredly as Mio nodded rapidly, head threatening to topple off or smack against the bed frame with her enthusiasm. Still, she smoothed out a spot next to her on the bed indulgently, "c'mon."

She laughed as her daughter scrambled up to get close to her mother.

Mio made an obvious attempt not to jostle her mama, trying to be as delicate and gentle as possible despite her obvious excitement. It was very sweet and Mebuki pressed her lips to the crown of her head as soon as she was settled against her side.

"I know you've been looking forward to meeting her," Mebuki murmured quietly, and she had. Mio had loved the idea of having a baby sister.

"She's small."

Mebuki laughed, tilting the cradle of her arms so that her eldest could see the new-born babies face.

"You were this small too when you were born," She told her quietly, grinning when Mio gazed up at her in awe before shifting her body onto her knees so she could look at her new sister better. It was positively adorable, Mio's head tilted as she inspected the now squirming pound of flesh, "she's a little fussy, she's probably tired."

"Can I hold her?"

Mio looked up at her mum, hands clasped together under her chin, pleading.

Mebuki was too tired to argue.

"Here, a hand here an- _just like that._ "

Mio almost seemed to freeze as soon as the warm and still squirming bundle was placed into her arms. Her back stiff and her eyes darting between her mama and the tiny thing she cradled. She was obviously terrified, probably a little self-conscious about how small the baby was and how easy it could be to hurt her. Mebuki would swear up and down that it was the hormones, it probably was after all but the sight of her two girls brought tears to her eyes.

A loud sniffle drew their attention.

Kizashi had no qualms in holding back his tears, openly crying at the scene in front of him from the doorway. Snacks in hand.

A few nurses and doctors sent odd glances his way as they passed by their room, it probably wasn't the strangest sight which they'd come across. Even if his sobbing was reaching a volume that Mebuki wasn't all too comfortable with, a tick developing and she tried to reign in the urge to throttle her husband.

"My two girls," He bawled, having the sense to kick the door shut behind him as he stumbled further into the room.

Mio glared at him fiercely.

" _Shhh_ ," She hissed, her voice barely above a whisper, brow furrowed, "the baby's sleeping!"

Kizashi made a strangled noise at her fierce expression.

It wasn't far from the truth either, their newest daughter had slowly begun to settle in her sister's arms. Her face tilted so that she faced Mio, flush and pudgy and _so perfect_. It made Mebuki melt and honestly consider those seven other children which Kizashi had wanted. As if she hadn't just gone through hell and back popping this one out.

"My two _precious_ girls," Kizashi wept, a lot softer, his tears stemming and his sniffles fading as he wandered over to his wife's side of the bed. An arm looping around her shoulder as they stayed there, a content moment as a family, "sorry, _three_."

"Sap."

"Proud of it, too," He nodded, unabashed as he swiped the wetness away from his cheeks.

"What's her name?" Mio asked quietly when her parents had stopped their teasing.

" _Not_ Suzue," Mebuki huffed vehemently.

Mio glanced up, looking utterly confused as her papa started laughing.

"Not Suzue," He agreed easily, pressing a chaste kiss to her temple but his grin didn't exactly fade. He looked pensive though, it had taken them a while to come up with a name for their eldest. His mother had swooped in and saved them from another couple of weeks of indecision and had indirectly named her eldest granddaughter, "maybe we should ask my mother first before we start arguing."

"I don't know," Mebuki murmured, eyes falling half-mast and was obviously still tired, "maybe we should stick with the flower theme."

There was a pause and Kizashi leaned forward curiously, gently brushing the blanket away from the newborn babes head. The three of them stared at the fine pale pinks hair, almost blonde, which coated her head. Like peach fuzz.

"Your genetics, I swear," Mebuki lamented.

"You're the one who married me."

"Don't remind me," Mio rolled her eyes, knowing that they'd end up spiralling into another argument. Instead, she was reverently focused on the tiny body in her arms, had been since she'd first laid her eyes on her new sister.

"What about…" She trailed off, garnering her parent's attention.

"Hm? What about what sweetpea?" Mebuki said.

"Sakura?" Her eldest offered almost meekly, looking cowed and suddenly a little nervous.

"You know, _you_ were almost called Sakura," She told her quietly, leaning into the gentle flex of her husband's arm as he drew her closer. Fond memories bringing them closer as they both recalled it as if it was yesterday. "It was your grandmother who named you."

"I like Sakura," Kizashi commented, reaching around to ruffle Mio's hair, destroying her perfectly coiffed bun.

"Also Hana owes me money," It was a glib comment that made the two adults blink.

"Have you been making bets again, young lady?" Mebuki suddenly demanded, all fatigue was forgotten and a mottled red colour rising up her neck. She had no idea where the bad habit had come from (and Mikoto would **_never_ **own up to it).

"Just a few!" Mio insisted, her earlier insistence on being **quiet** obviously forgotten.

"What have I told you about that!?"

"Not to make silly bets but it wasn't silly!" She insisted, shifting her arms and pouting sulkily under her mother's quailing glare.

"Oh? And what, _exactly_ , was it?"

Kizashi felt the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose when Mio shrugged nonchalantly.

"Easy money."

It was probably for the best that they were sent home relatively soon, confined to the small room, Mebuki was bound to throttle someone. His parents had been hard at work, pulling together a small party for when they arrived home. Soft pink balloons tied to the gate of their house.

The get-together was _very_ small.

Mikoto and Tsume had barged in on the shindig without invitation but Mebuki was too happy to see them to possibly turn them away. Her mother-in-law seemed particularly amused by the two women who strong-armed her son and Mebuki dreaded the eventual team-up of her mother-in-law and Hana. Not to mention the occasional friend that slipped in every now and then just to say hello. Curiosity killed the cat after all.

"Look at her, she's precious," Mikoto couldn't help but coo, a hand pressed to her cheek as she gushed over the small baby. A hand placed on her own stomach, rubbing gentle and fond circles as she thought of her own future-child.

"She's been so quiet since we brought her home," Mebuki confessed with a small smile, knowing it partially down to her overly-attentive older sister. The same one who was hovering close by so that as soon as the adults lost interest in the baby, she could swoop in to steal her away once again.

They'd thought that Mio would've gotten jealous.

Frankly, they were lucky to spend any time with their youngest daughter since Mio wanted to be with her all the time. It was somewhat adorable and a little worrying though Kizashi insisted that the behaviour would fade with time; it wasn't every day that you became an older sister after all.

"And how's the other ankle biter?" Tsume called out, the question aimed more at her goddaughter.

Mio perked up and skipped over.

"Have you seen my new sister, Aunt Tsume? Have you?" She asked, jumping up and down on the tips of her toes as she gripped onto the woman's dress. A hand landing heavily and ruffling her wine red curls.

"I have, brat, very cute," was all the woman offered her.

"When does Itachi get his baby brother?" Mio asked.

Mebuki and Mikoto shared a look, knowing better than to argue with the precocious little girl. They hadn't had the heart to tell her that when going to the medic for a check-up, it had been revealed they were having a girl. Fugaku had been over the moon about a second child in general, gender hadn't really mattered to him all that much.

"He's going to be arriving soon, sweetheart," Mikoto assured the girl.

"Have you thought of names?" Mebuki chimed in.

"Fugaku seems to like the name Kana but, I like Mikiko," The ladies were off in a flurry, talking too fast for the young girl to comprehend. Which was probably why she began to wander off, in search of her father.

They'd return Sakura to her soon enough.

* * *

Honestly though, they both had thought that Mio would be jealous.

She was, after all, a somewhat exhausting child, as soon as she could walk and as soon as she could talk, she was off like a kunai in the wind. There was no stopping her. Kicked out of daycare, stealing her father's weapons ( _Mebuki had almost had a heart attack seeing Mio with the sebon needles_ ) and probably an abundance of mischief that would bite her in the ass later.

Mio had her quirks but, apparently, was charming and cunning enough to wiggle her way out of some tight spots.

The fact that her parent's attention would have to be split between both her and her new sister didn't really seem to register with their eldest daughter. It had been a cause for concern, more so in the beginning months of pregnancy, when everything was changing again. They considered moving closer to the heart of the village, where they could get a slightly bigger house- the only downside was that it took them away from her parents-in-law.

Due to the fact that both Kenta and Noriko had immigrated to Konoha, it restricted some of their choices in aspects of life. They were settled on the outskirts along with others who had sought Konoha, looking for a better life.

Mebuki knew that Kizashi felt somewhat guilty; the only reason they were able to buy their new house was because he'd been born after his parents had arrived in Konoha. Any earlier and he would've been in the same boat as them. No system was without faults.

What was the original point?

 _Jealousy_ , right.

Kizashi was the first to notice however that during the pregnancy, Mio garnered a habit of talking quietly to her mother's growing bump. It was always quiet words, her ear pressed against her mother's swelling abdomen. A lot of the time it was done so as Mebuki napped, more so to take herself off her swollen feet than because she was tired.

It was adorable.

 _"I can't wait to meet you."_

 _"I'm gonna teach you all the things."_

 _"I'm gonna keep you safe."_

She was a little watcher, constantly hovering over the baby as soon as they brought her home from the hospital. Mio even got a little antsy whenever they moved her younger sister out of sight for a little too long. It was a touch unnerving but then again, Kizashi had never had any siblings of his own and Mebuki was estranged from her own family ( _who had passed another fleeting congratulations message which was as cold and curt as the first_ ).

Jealousy didn't even seem to cross Mio's mind. Instead, she was there with loving kisses and trying to help at every turn. More mornings than not, Kizashi went to pick Sakura out of her crib and found Mio already there, hand in the crib and entertaining her very-much awake sister.

All she ever spoke about was her sister, he hadn't seen Itachi or Hana in weeks after the birth.

"Look! She has pink hair!" Mio announced.

After a month, she'd taken to using the old carrier that Mebuki had used when Mio was just a baby herself. Sakura strapped to her front so they were chest to chest, which also gave the baby a prime target for where to drool and to grab a clump of her sisters hair.

It was the most patience both of them had ever seen their eldest display.

Kizashi grinned down at the two of them, moving the boiling pot away from the heat before crouching down to their height. The blonde-pink wisps had darkened ever so slightly but remained as vivid as his own had been back in his day, starkly different to both his wife's lovely blonde and his eldest's wine red.

"Yeah?" He couldn't help but indulge her.

"Like yours and poppa's," Mio nodded solemnly.

"You wanna know why we have this colour hair?" He asked, reaching out to stroke the wisps of pink hair on Sakura's head but thought better of it, he had been cooking after all. His grin widening as he noticed the gleam in her eldest's eyes. Ah, curiosity. "My dad, and his family, all came from a place called Uzushiogakure. They moved to Konoha a long time ago."

"How long? Because you're _very_ old." Mio promptly informed her.

Kizashi's eye twitched.

 _Cheeky brat._

"Long enough," He said shortly, his grin seemingly frozen upon his lips and Mio grinned back, knowing that she'd succeeded in irritating her dad. The smug little imp. "Your great-grandmother, my Baba, belonged to the Uzumaki and they were famed for their beautiful red hair."

"But you and Sakura have pink hair!"

"Eh, it probably fades with a few generations," Kizashi waved it off.

He slapped his hands on his knees, pushing himself up to his full height to carry on cooking dinner.

Completely missing Mio's considering look.

* * *

 **CHAPTER WORD COUNT: 2688**

 **STORY WORD COUNT: 13,215**


	7. Intro Arc: Endings

**TITLE:** florescence

 **SUMMARY:** To be an older sister, was a full-time job. Her career as a Shinobi was simply a hobby. SI/OC AU. Rewrite.

1\. I am officially, **FREE**.

2\. Holy shit I'm actually done with university though, my last exam was probably a couple of weeks ago by the time I get around to posting this.

3\. Thank you for to all those who reviewed and followed and favourited! You guys are totally amazing. It genuinely means the world to me.

4\. I don't like this chapter. Not one bit but I still have a bit to go before I can start shaping the plot how I want it. As you might have guessed, this story is pretty far away from all of the action to begin with. I'm still not sure if I want Mio to dive headfirst into the plot or pull strings from behind the scenes. I honestly have five options with how the story can go.

5\. Once again thank you so much for your reviews and messages, let me know what you think and what you'd like to see happen!

6\. A quick reminder that I don't have a beta-reader, and having no idea how to acquire one so all I have is my shoddy attention-span and spell check to slay the beast. So this is probably riddled with errors. Let me know what you think or how to improve!

* * *

It took a while for Mio to begin to question her mother's near-constant presence.

Maternity leave was relatively short for shinobi, that was more so out of personal choice most of the time than anything. Technically, with a medics assistance, after birth a kunoichi could be back on active duty within two weeks. It wasn't exactly an approved practise but it was known to happen. Before going back on duty, all new parents were put through another psych evaluation. They were surprisingly thorough, mostly after trial and error.

"Where's your thing?" Mio asked one day.

Her small hands reached up to Mebuki's somewhat defined hip bones. She'd worn her hitaite around her waist ever since she graduated years ago. She'd never really taken it off in a permanent manner, sure, just for sleeping and for bathing like everyone else. Not in a never going to put it back on sort of way.

Not until she was pregnant with Sakura.

It was difficult to get used to, her waist had felt bare for a solid month until she'd gradually gotten used to the sensation.

"Mm, it's somewhere," Mebuki offered.

Her daughter said nothing but she frowned, just for a second, before dropping her hand much like the entire topic. Their silence became somewhat suffocating and even slightly awkward or maybe that was all in Mebuki's head. It was something she brought up to her husband when they were getting ready to go to bed for the night.

He was happily tucked away in bed, his glasses resting uselessly atop of his head as he struggled to read a mission report. The only light in the room was the dim lamp on her vanity table, where she was sat slowly going through her nightly routine.

"She was bound to notice sooner or later," Kizashi pointed out, scratching his nose absentmindedly. "Surprised it took her this long actually."

"She was too excited about Sakura to really notice, now everything's settling down, she's probably starting to pick up on everything she missed," Mebuki murmured, taking her earrings out one at a time. She placed them away in the carved jewellery box she'd been given by her own mother.

"What're you going to tell her?" Kizashi asked, finally looking up from the report, a small wrinkle between his brow.

"Nothing."

"Mebuki."

It was soft and disapproving.

"I won't be able to hold my tongue, if I try to explain it to her, why I resigned, I'll probably influence her and her opinions," Mebuki told him, starting to wipe her face free from the grime and sweat of the day. She went about applying her creams and oils that she insisted made the difference in her skin. Kizashi thought they were all ridiculously expensive scams but each to their own. "Just because I fell out of love with the lifestyle doesn't mean Mio will, that's not fair on her. I can't do that to her."

No matter how badly she wanted to keep her children away from it.

The idea that one or both of her girls could end up in the cutthroat world she'd romanticised herself, it made her chest hurt.

It had been slow over time, the festering rot that stayed in the back of her head. The hatred pooled and it clawed, gnawed away at her every thought. From the second which her husband had been injured, the first time after Mio was born. It just… it took control. Whenever she was on a mission, her mind was at home with her family. Her own mother's voice crooning in her ear, the times which she'd told Mebuki about how selfish kunoichis were, how the shinobi lifestyle was terrible. How it took men and women away from their homes and ruined families.

Mebuki had kept quiet about it.

She hadn't mentioned her thoughts to her husband, to her friends, to anyone really.

It was all she thought about though.

When she'd resigned, no one had taken it particularly well. Tsume had taken it almost like some twisted personal slight, something which resorted to them not speaking for a few months during her pregnancy with Sakura. Whilst Mikoto was on the fence about her decision to resign, mostly due to the fact that she had been forced to resign when she'd fallen pregnant with Itachi, she'd practically bashed their heads together with how silly and stubborn they were being.

Her husband had respected her decision but didn't fully understand it, which was all she could really ask for. Her mother-in-law had said nothing on the topic but their interactions were slightly colder for a week or so after being told.

"How do you think Mio will feel," Kizashi said, bringing Mebuki out of her absent minded thoughts. "When she asks, and you know she will, she's too nosy not to, and her mother refuses to answer her. Not properly."

It was a valid question.

He continued despite her silence.

"Mum was never open about her past, about her reasons for leaving," He told her. It wasn't something which was brought up in conversation, Noriko had been from Kiri afterall. There was nothing easy or pleasant about her history there. Mebuki paused in her nightly rituals. "As a kid, it felt like shit," Kizashi spat with more vehemence than she'd been expecting, jumping slightly in her seat. "No kid likes it when their parents keep secrets from them. So tell her something, anything. She's a smart kid, she won't push."

Mebuki remained quiet, her lips pursed and the awkward silence had somehow infiltrated the sanctity of their bedroom.

She didn't say it. (Would never say it).

But it made her hate shinobi life even more.

* * *

Mikoto and Mebuki had been friends for a number of years.

It was a fact; the sky was blue, the grass was green, they were longtime friends.

Surprisingly, despite the number of times the woman came up in conversation, Mebuki and her daughters had yet to cross paths with Mikoto's self-proclaimed best friend. Uzumaki Kushina was, after all, a force of nature. More often than not, Mebuki stayed out of her way simply because she didn't want to get caught up in the storm of a woman.

Mio, however, had been enraptured as soon as she set eyes on the red-headed woman.

She'd shot off like a kunai as soon as she'd seen Mikoto and Itachi in the marketplace, which was fine, it was nothing out of the ordinary. As soon as Mio had learnt to walk, she had been running and getting into things she wasn't really supposed to be in. However, as they got closer, it became obvious that Mikoto was already caught in conversation with Kushina.

Mio didn't hesitate and collided with Itachi in a full body slam that almost swept them both off their feet.

Itachi could have avoided the attack.

By that point, he was already resigned to the inevitable, smart boy.

" _Mio_ ," Mebuki hissed, though it wasn't very effect with how far away she was.

"Mio!" Mikoto cooed, her expression brightening a touch at the girl who had wrapped herself around her son like a monkey. The poor thing just stood there, having long since come to terms with his friends somewhat odd behaviour. "It's so nice to see you, how's your sister?"

"She's getting big, her hairs getting longer too," Mio told Mikoto with a beaming grin, turning her attention more onto her friend which she was curled around. "When's your brother getting here?"

Itachi was saved from asking.

"Cute brat," Kushina muttered, eyes settling on the red of her hair, her hands on her hips as she inspected the small girl. The swell of her stomach was barely visible despite being three, maybe four months pregnant. She turned with a mischievous grin to her best friend. "Can I-?"

"You can't steal her," Mikoto cut her friend off promptly.

They smiled ever so innocently at Mebuki as she pulled up to join them.

"Hello Kushina-san," She reproachfully, with care and a wary glance at Mikoto, shifting Sakura whilst extracting a loose strand of hair from her chubby fist. Mikoto looked infinitely amused by Mebuki's wariness of her friend.

"Mebuki, been ages, how've you been? How's Kizashi?" As soon as Kushina started, there was no stopping her. A mile a minute and a grin which threatened to split her face in two.

Mio's head bobbed and swayed, her eyes drawn to the woman's crimson hair that swung just out of reach. It was vivid, stark and eye catching, very different to her own which was mistaken for black in certain lighting. Kushina wasn't pretty like her mama, who was made up of sharp edges and stern composure. She wasn't like Mikoto either, who for all intents and purposes, looked the picture of demureness and elegance. Kushina was somewhere in the middle with childlike glee sewn into her, a passion and enthusiasm that lit up everything. Just a little over-the-top without it becoming obnoxious.

"-est daughter Sakura, and my eldest, Mio."

Mio, said eldest, had yet to climb down from her friend. Itachi having shifted her weight so that he carried her on his back, his arms now hooked underneath her knees to keep her steady.

"Hi hi!" Mio chirped.

Kushina glanced over at Mikoto once more, "are you sure I can't-?"

"Kidnapping is still a felony."

"But she's so cute," Kushina looked torn between wanting to reach over to pinch the girls cheeks and stomping her foot at the injustice of it all. She did look entertained though, eyes sparkling with glee throughout it all. Mebuki however felt like she'd missed something, her own eyebrow arched questioningly as she pierced the two woman with a stare. Kushina held her hands up as if in surrender. "I'm just saying, you got some cute kids Mebuki."

"...thank you?"

Mio laid her chin on Itachi's shoulder, knowing to settle because their mothers were gearing up. Their mouths were moving but all she heard was blah blah blah, a lot of it was inconsequential information. Gossip with no basis or chatter about the best produce, adult things which she didn't have to worry about just yet. Sakura was sent to sleep, dozing in her mama's arms.

"Hana told me to tell you hi," Itachi murmured.

"Tell her I said hi back," Mio said. He could feel the movement of her shrug ripple through him.

"How's being a sister?" He asked. He was genuinely curious afterall, it was the first time since they'd been introduced that Mio had swanned off. He hadn't realised how lonely he was until the chatter suddenly stopped; not that he would ever admit anything out loud. Shisui could only be around for so long at a time and his mother had managed to convince the elders that he should start with the rest of his peers at an appropriate age.

"It's nice," Mio hummed. There was an almost dreamy quality to her tone as she sighed, she was smiling though, he could feel it. "It's strange, having something so small and fragile be dependent on you."

He made a noise of agreement and then gave pause.

"Why do you think it'll be a boy?" He eventually asked.

Their friendship didn't involve a lot of questions, well, not a lot of personal questions. They were smart enough, the pair of them, to know that neither of them were exactly forthcoming with what was going through their head. Their friendship was also built on the fact that no question was out-of-bounds, Mio had no filter and Itachi saw no reason to lie.

Mio had her quirks, some which the adults thought were simply the mark of childhood. They accepted them, didn't understand them, they thought that she would simply grow out of them. Itachi had his own quirks, had his own characteristics. They were both more mature than a lot of adults noticed or cared to admit. He knew that his friend didn't do a lot without good reason, much like himself. She said "I love you" to anyone who left and when he'd asked her about it, she'd just looked at him.

"What if that's the last time I'm going to see them? I want to know my last words to them were meaningful."

It was a surprisingly morbid way of thinking, that death was around every corner. And it was why Itachi knew that her insistence upon his sibling's gender wasn't some whim, the same way that she insisted that she would be having a sister.

Itachi could feel her startle, felt the way her jaw clenched where she rested her chin on his shoulder. Her teeth grinding quietly in his ear and he could imagine the scowl, the deep indentation between her brow.

"Same reason why I knew Sakura would be a girl," she said.

He paused, an obvious invitation for her to elaborate.

"Because I'm always right, silly," she told him.

Her tone was pitched a little higher and despite knowing that she was still scowling, feeling her jaw clenched still, he could envision a wide and innocent smile. Itachi didn't care for her tone, not when it was the same one she used whenever they were treated their age. When they were told that they wouldn't understand "adult things". Her breath was warm and tickled the back of his neck as she turned so her cheek rested against his shoulder blade.

They stood there and waited in silence, a little awkward.

"I'll tell you someday."

The close to startled as Itachi could get was the fractional widening of his eyes but he squeezed her legs in acknowledgement. The two of them listening to their mother's conversations once again just as it began to drift onto topics they were actually interested in.

"Will they be going to the Academy?" Kushina asked, hands clasped together and she looked like she wanted to dance in one spot at the prospect of possibly tainting these innocent children. It was, however, sort of a delicate topic for both Mikoto and Mebuki. Their children remaining silent even as their smiles twisted into something uncomfortable and awkward.

In all honesty, Mio knew that her mama had quit.

She wasn't allowed to say anything since her papa was the one who'd approached her about it, only after it became clear that Mebuki was going to continue to remain stubbornly quiet on the matter and brush off most of Mio's questions. Mikoto had been forced into retirement, Mebuki had found out, as soon as it had been discovered that she was pregnant with Itachi. She never went back on the roster and had enough on her plate with the squabbles she had over when her eldest should actually join the Academy.

In their eyes, he was talented enough so why shouldn't he? It would bolster their reputation, rub the other clan's noses in it, blah blah blah. Fugaku had a difficult time juggling his duties at that point, he was Head of the Clan, he had to do what was right for the clan and to help them as their people but, he was also required to put the needs of his son first as a father.

"Ah, Mio will be…"

"I'm sure Itachi will join… soon," Mikoto waved off her friend, the two of them laughing uncomfortably. An unspoken moment of solidarity between the two of them.

"At least they're not sending them off like cannon fodder anymore," Kushina sighed.

When the war had ended, peace settled over the village and for some, it was slightly uncomfortable. After living in the throes of chaos and thriving in war, despite the casualties and the sacrifices which had been made in the name of Konoha, there was almost an undercurrent of confusion mixed with their sigh of relief. What did you do after the war was over?

"That's true, some of them were sent out so young," Mikoto murmured, her fingers pressed against her lips. The Uchiha's had their own shrine for those Killed in Action, separate from the memorial for all Konoha shinobi. There were so many of them which didn't ever get to see the light of their tenth birthday. There were so many orphans, so many childless parents and their blood forever stained the open palms of Konoha.

There was a heavy paused between the three women.

"This got sad very quickly," Mebuki murmured.

It worked like a charm and the tension seemed to break, the three of them laughing uneasily. Mebuki took it as a means of escape.

"It's nice seeing you both but we've got to get the shopping done before all the good stuff goes in the market," they share a pointed look as if that actually means anything and Mio was forced to climb down from Itachi's back. If she had a sulky pout, no one brought any attention to it. Itachi simply offered her a small consoling smile.

"I'll see you soon," Itachi offered.

"You better," She threatened, waving her fist in his direction as she moved to her mother's side.

There was a short pause as they began to walk away from one another, the families splitting to go their separate ways. Kushina walking backwards so that her eyes rested on the retreating backs of the Haruno family.

"...are you sure-?"

"I am not explaining to the Yondaime why you were arrested for kidnapping."

"You know, no one likes a snitch, Mikoto."

* * *

Haruno Kenta died in the early throes of June.

It was one of the warmest summers people could recall or maybe that was simply because there was no war looming over them anymore. The sun was burning bright and Noriko cried out when she woke to her husband's distinct lack of pulse.

Something which Mebuki failed to account for, in spite of her retirement from the shinobi lifestyle, was that death didn't give pause for anyone. It caught up with everyone in the end. Kenta had long retired from his life as a merchant, he didn't travel all too much, he'd dropped most of his vices and live a relatively happy, healthy, safe life within the walls of Konoha.

It didn't mean that it would prevent him from having a stroke and dying in his sleep.

A quiet way to go.

"A kind way to go," they told her.

His death didn't really represent the man that he was though, the man which had welcomed Mebuki into the family as soon as Kizashi had introduced them. The man who had exuded warmth and love, he'd been so playful and so very alive.

It was safe to say that death didn't suit him.

The only thing which kept her going through the trying time was that, if she was feeling like this, the pain and the ache; then what was her husband feeling? It was only natural that his parents wouldn't live forever but she wanted it to be better. She just wanted to make it better for everyone but, no one could make it better.

A part of her, an awful part of her, was somewhat happy that Sakura would be too young to remember him. She wasn't going to feel this pain, she wasn't going to have a chance to miss him. Maybe that was awful but she'd never get attached. Not like Mio.

"He's not dead," she insisted.

Kizashi was, understandably, not in the mood to have this argument. If he was a little short and a little curt with his eldest daughter, then Mebuki understood, not that she approved of it. They'd had to sit there and watch as their daughter processed the fact that her Poppa simply wasn't going to come back.

And when they'd tried to console her…

Well, she'd surprised them all by sinking her teeth into her father's forearm.

He'd dropped her out of sheer shock and she landed with the cat-like grace Mebuki had taught her; she'd ran out of the door, the distinct slam echoing in their house. It was hours, _hours_ before any of them could find her.

They'd checked her usual spots: they'd visited the Uchiha's, checked the playgrounds, the small stream which her Poppa took her to on occasion.

And when the sun began to set, the worry slowly started to morph into panic.

It was the only time Noriko left the guest bedroom.

It didn't take long for her to find her granddaughter. She remembered the trip to the top of the Hokage mountain well, her yelling at both her husband and granddaughter to come away from the edge, Mio's awe-filled gaze as she looked across the skyline of Konoha. It didn't take that much work and Noriko snidely questioned the efforts her son and daughter-in-law made to look for her.

A mean thought but with all things considered, she was allowed to be a little mean.

"You've got everyone worried, y'know," Noriko said.

Her old bones ached as she sat down quietly next to her, they were precariously close to the edge, nestled between the spikes of the Nidaime's head. She was instinctively silent until she made her presence known, a lesson which had been drilled into her brutally when she was just her granddaughter's age. It was something which would never leave her and in the same way, her mind wandered to how her husband would never leave her. Not really.

The fresh air was good for her and her thoughts, as much as she didn't want to admit it. Noriko had been content with wallowing in her own room. Her own sorrow came second to her family's safety though and the scavenger hunt for her granddaughter was good to take her mind off things.

"He's not dead," Mio sobbed.

She slowly uncurled herself from her ball, her shield against the world and Noriko's heart ached even more at the sight of her red-rimmed eyes. Her hair was in wild knots with leaves and twigs tangled throughout. Her sniffing and huffing made Noriko move a little closer, knowing that her granddaughter was trying to calm herself down.

"He is," Noriko didn't offer any comfort.

It was cold and it was curt. There was no dancing around it. Death was death. There was no point denying it.

"No, _he's not!_ " Mio's face scrunched up in anger, in fury and she turned, resting on her knees and her fists raised and started slamming into her grandmother's arms.

There was no force behind it, there was nothing but desperation. She wanted to be reassured, wanted to be told that everything would be alright, that her Poppa would be alive and well when they returned. He'd magically just pop up, sing and dance and laugh with his 'favourite little monster'.

Noriko allowed the first two hits but then quickly caught her granddaughter's wrists, staring into her flushed and angry and distraught face.

"He's dead and he's not coming back, sweetheart," She told her quietly.

Mio struggled against her grandmother as she was pulled into her lap, wanting to fight and kick and scream. It didn't help though, none of it would help. Noriko would give almost anything to have a few more days with her husband but his time was up. Everyone had their time.

Her own tears were silent as Mio started to sob once again.

Her hits turned into grabs, clinging to handfuls of her grandmother's nightdress. The same one she'd worn beside her husband the last time they'd bid each other goodnight. She hadn't wanted to take it off, had wanted to cling to it.

It was nighttime when they got back.

Mio lay fast asleep in her grandmother's arms, her legs wrapped loosely around the older woman's waist with her head laid upon her shoulder. Noriko said nothing to her son and daughter as she walked into the house, they'd been sat in the living room, no doubt anxiously waiting for the two of them to come back but she didn't have the energy to try to speak to them. Instead, she just started up the stairs with her granddaughter in her arms and back into the room which she'd been staying in.

The lock clicked into place.

The funeral took place a few days later and Noriko was glad to see the turn out. Tsume and her daughter had attended to pay their respect, even if they hadn't known each other for the longest of times. Kenta's friends, the ones who she'd insisted were terrible influences, they had all shown in their best dress and their heartfelt condolences and hugs. Even some of Kenta's best customers had shown up to pay their respects to the man they'd once done business with. And family.

Their family stood at the front.

They were a small gathering, a small family, the Haruno Clan. They were eclectic in appearance and there wasn't really a common denominator in appearance. The only thing which really tied them all together was the white circles that stood stark against the black fabric of their clothes.

Mio was relatively quiet considering her outburst a day or so ago, shifting her little sister in her arms, having insisted on carrying her the entire day. She hadn't wanted her parents to touch her, to coddle her and settled for clinging to the warmth of her baby sister. Noriko understood, Kizashi was very much her anchor throughout all of it like Sakura probably was to Mio.

Something to keep them tied to the ground, to the present rather than drowning in the past with ghosts of those who had left them.

Everyone bid their goodbyes before his ashes were spread.

It wasn't raining.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

The sun shone brightly and the heat was sweltering and all Noriko could think was that Kenta would've probably loved it. He would've been curled up with Mio under the window, taking naps. He was like a cat in the summer, he fell asleep easily in the patches of light and it annoyed her to no end with his grating snores.

There was an emptiness in her chest when she realised that when she got home, the spot would be empty. Kizashi had offered the room she'd been staying in at their house but she'd kindly turned him down.

Kizashi had his own family to think about after all.

"He wasn't supposed to die," she thought she heard Mio whisper as everyone started to leave. Noriko didn't know if she was supposed to hear her or not. "I didn't- _this wasn't supposed to happen._ "

"Everyone's supposed to die at some point," was all she replied.

Neither of them said anything else to one another for the rest of the night.

* * *

 **CHAPTER WORD COUNT: 4454**

 **STORY WORD COUNT: 17,669**


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